Cigar lighter



J. SINKO CIGAR LIGHTER Dec. 22, 1931.

Filed Oct. 3l, 1928 Patented Desea, v1931 `TOEN SINKO, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS p p crean .LIGHTER ,Application filed October 31, 1928. Serial No. 816,164.

ing a contact terminal wired to the batteryn and a plug member comprising a hand-piece carrying an igniter element and a cooperating contact terminal, the plug member being moved in the socket member to close the circuit through said contact terminals and held in such position until the igniter ele ment has become heated to incandescence and then removed from the socket member for use.

provide a wireless cigar lighter of verysimple and inexpensive construction, wherein the' circuit is normally maintained open by a spring in the socket member exerting an outward thrust on'` theA plu member, and is closed by a slight l inwar movement of the plug member. Another object is to rovide a construction wherein the spacin etween the contact terminals carried by t e socket member and the lug member, respectively, can be nicely andp accurately adjusted. yAnother object `is to provide a construction affording a comparatively short total 'length of combined socket and plug so that the lighter will not project to an objectionable length into the interior space of the car. Still another object is to provide a cigar lighter, the socket member of which shall be a apted to receive the plg of a service o r trouble light and to automatically maintain the circuit-closed when said last-named plug 10 has been inserted.

My invention, its manner of use, and the advantages inhering therein will be readily understood by persons skilledin the art from the following description, taken in connec- 15 tion with the accompanying drawings, in

Vwhich I have illustrated one slmple and practical embodiment, and wherein*- ,Fig. 1 is an axial sectional view of the J lighterand its' supporting bracket;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, in' a plane at right.

angles to that of Fig. 1, and showing the ignlter-carryin element in side elevatlon;

Fig. 3 is a ront elevation;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation in the same plane as that of Fig. 2, illustrating the applicationfof a service or trouble light plug;

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail view of a spring plate which carries the inner contact member.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates as a whole a U-shaped attaching bracket, the forward upstanding limb 10a of which carries the lighter, and the rear upstanding limb 10b of which carried a binding screw 11 by which the bracket may be clamped on the lower edge of `an instrument board. The

lower horizontal limb ofthe bracket is prefer- One object of the present invention is to ably slotted, as shown, to facilitate the passage of a circuit wire.

Mounted on the circular rim of the front bracket limb 10m is a metal shell 12 formed with an inwardly curled front mar inal stop flange 13. Within the shell 12 an abutting at ,its outer end against the flange 13 is a cup-shaped member 14 formed with a front marginal flange 15. Confined between the Alangel and the bracket limb 10a is a thrust spring 16.

-The bottom wall of the cup-shaped member 14 is formed with a central aperture into which is swaged the inner end of a cylinder 17.- In the inner 'wall of cylinder 17 are a pair of oppositely disposed bayonet slots 18 for a purpose hereinafter described.

19 designates a Contact carrier, preferably taking the form of a slightly bowed or arched spring plate, the ends of which are inserted beneath the inner coil of spring 16 and bear against the bracket limb 10, as shown in Fig. 2. Spring plate 19 is formed with a circular laterally-offset central portion 20 in which is a hole 21. Passed through the hole 21 is a contact stud 22 having a shank of less diameter than, and out off Contact with the edge of, hole 21, and supported by fiber washers 23 and 24. To the rear end of contact stud 22 is connected a circuit'line 25 from the *i tact carrier plate against turning and imposing a strain on the fastening of circuit wire 25, the plate 19 is preferably formed near its ends with slots 26 (Fig. 5), throu h which extend lugs 27 cut and bent outward y from the bottom wall of the cup-shaped member 14. The bracket limb a is' formed with holes28 opposite the lugs 27 which are entered by the latter when the cup-shaped member is 10 pressed inwardly to close the circuit, as hereinafter described.

The parts thus far described are all permanently mounted on and carried by the bracket 10.

Describing now the removable plug element of the lighter, 29 designates a hand piece of bakelite, hard rubber, or other like material having the general form of a te-lephone transmitter mouth-piece and formed with an in* ternal annularrib 30. Crimped on the rib 30 is the outer end of another metal cupshaped member 31, the inner or bottom wall of which has a laterally oii'set portion 32 formed with a central aperture 33 through which, and out of contact with the edge of aperture 33, extends a tapped contact stud 34 supported by a liber washer 35. Stud 34 has a kerf in its head for application and adjustment by a screw driver. Seated in the open front end of the member 31 is a shallow igniter carrier 37 formed with a marginal flange 38 on its outer end overlapping the outer end of the member 31 and the rib 30.

The igniter carrier 37 has a central hole 38 through which extends with clearance a screw 39 supported by fiber washers 40 and 41 that are clamped on carrier 37 by a brass washer 42 and nut 43, the inner end of said screw entering the tapped contact 34. The head of screw 39 is slotted to receive the inner end of the spiral igniter element 44, the outer end of the latter being electrically connected to the rim of the carrier 37, which latter lies in contact with member 31.

In operation, the Spring 16 normally maintains the contacts 22 and 34 separated. 'Io heat the ignition coil 44, the hand-piece 29 is pressed inwardly, compressing spring 16, and closing the circuit between contacts l34 and 22, the circuit being grounded on bracket 10 through parts 37 31, 17, 14, and spring 16. The hand-piece'is held pressed in until the coil is incandescent, when it isy pulled out of the socket and used. When replaced, spring 16 separates the contacts 34 .and 22 as soon as the hand is removed from the hand-piece 29.

For p-urposes of a cigar lighter alone,

the Contact carrier plate 19 need not be aspring, but might be a rigid fiat plate, although the spring support insures better Contact. Its spring form well adapts the socket portion of the device for service'with the plug of a service or trouble light. This capacity of the device is illustrated in Fig. 66 4, wherein the cigar lighter plug has been withdrawn and replaced by the plug 50 of a service light, the cords of which are indicated at 51. The shank 50 of plug 50 is provided with short pins or lugs 52 that enter the bayonet slots 18 and lock the plug in place. On the inner end of the plug 1s a Contact button 53 that strikes the contact 22 before the pins '52 enter the odset ends of the bayonet grooves 18, and as the plug is pushed in far enough to lock the pins 52 in the bayonet grooves, the spring contact plate 19 is eXed toward a flat condition, thus insuring snug engagement of the contacts 53 and 22 with each other while the lamp is in service.

By reason of the fact that in the described structure, the thrust spring 16 is so arranged that for the greater part of its length it occupies a telescopic relation to the removable plug element, it is possible to position the two contacts very close to each other so that but a slight inward movement of the plug ele ment suices to close the circuit, and this arrangement also affords a very short total length of continued socket and plug.

It will also be noted that the spacing of the cylinder 17 from the portion of the hand piece 29 surrounding the same provides an annular air space between the two that serves as a heat insulation for the hand piece. The bayonet slots 18 enable the cylinder 17 to eX- pand slightly as'the plug member 31 is forced therein, whereby the latter is yieldably held in place under a spring friction, and is not liable to be jarred loose and fall out of the socket.

I claim:

1. In a wireless cigar lighter, the lcombination of a socket member including an outer shell formed with an internal stop flange on its forward end and a cup-shaped member within said shell abutting -at its outer end against said iiange, a spring in said shell urging said cup-shaped member outwardly, a circuit contact terminal disposed in rear of said cup-shaped member, a plug member insertible in said cup-shaped member, a circuit contact terminal mounted on the inner end of said plug member, and an igniter element mounted on said plug member and electrically connected to said last-named terminal.

2. In a wireless cigar lighter, the combination of a socket member including an outer shell formed with an internal stop flange on its forward end land a cup-shaped member within said shell abutting at its outer end against said ia'nge, said cup-shaped member havin an external annular flange on its outer en a coil spring in said shell encircling said cupshaped member and abutting against said annular flange,- a circuit contact terminal disposed in rear of said cup-shaped member, a plug member insertible jin said cup-shaped member, a circuit contact terminal mounted on the inner end of said plug member, and

circling said cup-shaped member and abut-k Ating against said annular lange, a circuit contact terminal disposed in rear of said cupshaped member, a plug member com rising a hand-piece of insulating material te escopling within said cup-shaped member and a metal contact carrier telescoping within said 4metal cylinder, a contact terminal on the inner end of said contact carrier opposite' said lirst-named contact terminal, and an igniter element mounted on the outer en (ol lof said plug member and electrically connected to the terminal on said contact carrier.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a 'socket member for the purposes described, comprising an outer shell formed with an internal stop Ilan e on its forward endfa cen trally-apertur-e cup-shaped 'member within said shell abutting at its outer end against said flange, a spring within said shell urging said cup-shaped member outwardly, a sprin plate in said shell in rear of said cup-shape member, a contact `termin-al carried by -said 40 v member for the purposes described, compris` spring plate, and a cylinder mounted in the central aperture. of said cup-shaped member and formed with a bayonet slot therein.

5. As a new 'article of manu-facture, a socket ing an'outer shell formed with an internal stop ilan e on its forward end, a centrallyaperture cup-shaped member within sald .shell abutting at its outer end against said flange and formed with an external annular flange on its outer end, a'coil vspring in said shell encircling said cup-shaped member and' abutting a ainst said annular flange, a sprin plate in said shell in rear of said cu -shape member, a contact terminal lcagrie bysaidv spring plate, and a cylinder mounted at its inner end in the central aperture of said cup- A.i niter carrier and electrical .t 'e other end of said igniter element, and a v contact stud mounted on the inner end of said and disposed opposite said rst-named contact terminal, and a s rin'g in said socket member normally holdm said* contact terminals separated from eac other.

7. In a wireless cigar lighter, a removable plugmember adapted for telescopic engagement with a fixed socket member, comprlsln a hollow hand piece of insulating materia formed with/an internal annular rib, a metal sleeve member at its outer end crimped on said rib, an ignition element mounted in the outer end of said sleeve member, a screw disposed coaxially with said sleeve member and at its outer end electrically connected to said ignition member, and a contact stud mounted on the other end of said screw.

8. In a wireless cigar lighter, a removableplug member adapted for telescopic engagement with a ixed socket member, comprising a hollow hand piece of insulating material formed with a Baring outer end portion and an internal annular rib, a metal sleeve member at itsouter end crimped on said rib, a shallow cup-shaped igniter carrier formed with a marginal flange' on its outer end overlapping the outer end of said sleeve, an

igni er element seated in said igniter carrier wit one end thereof electrically connected to the latter, a screw disposed coaxiallywith said sleeve member extending through said y connected to JOHN sINKo.

shaped member and formed with a bayonet slot therein. v

6. `In a wireless cigar lighter, the combination with a socket member, and a contact terminal therein, of` a plug member telescopingly en aged with said socket mem` ber, an igniter e ement mounted in the outerA end of said plug member, aT screw mounted in said plug member to the outer e'ndowhicli said 'Igniter-element is electrically connected, a second contact terminal having a tapped Vbore engaged with the inner end of said screw .i 

